Majerle Likely Out With Strained Left Groin

HEAT NOTEBOOK

April 28, 1998|By IRA WINDERMAN Staff Writer

MIAMI — Unless his teammates rally without him, the season might be over for Heat forward Dan Majerle.

Majerle said Monday the strained left groin he aggravated in Sunday's 96-86 loss to the Knicks at Miami Arena likely will keep him out of tonight's Game 3 of the best-of-5 first-round playoff series in New York and also could sideline him from Thursday's Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.

``I'm probably not going to go,'' Majerle said of playing tonight, shortly before boarding Monday's team flight. ``It's pretty sore. I'm probably not going to go, but we'll make that decision [today).''

Majerle was equally uncertain about Game 4.

``I'll just have to wait and see,'' he said. ``Maybe I'll feel better [today).''

The 10-year veteran, though, did not sound optimistic.

``It's very disappointing,'' he said. ``You want to play and help your team, so it's disappointing.''

Coach Pat Riley held out hope for a Majerle appearance, but also wanted to avoid having to alter his approach should Majerle exit early. Riley said the Heat had to make revisions on the fly Sunday, after Majerle was forced to the bench less than five minutes into Game 2, only to return at far less than 100 percent.

``Having Dan ailing changed some of the things we wanted to do,'' he said.

Keith Askins likely will start in Majerle's place. The Heat went 12-0 with Askins starting this season and 11-0 with tonight's likely starting lineup of Askins, forward P.J. Brown, center Alonzo Mourning and guards Tim Hardaway and Voshon Lenard.

Of Jamal Mashburn possibly reversing his struggles in the series, which include 2-of-13 shooting by the forward, Riley quipped, ``He better hurry in only three games since missing two months after thumb surgery.

``I agree, he may not be ready for this particular [situation),'' Riley said. ``I think he could be ready in certain situations. It's probably my fault matching him up with Larry Johnson. It's not a good matchup for us. They went right to that. But we do need something out of Jamal.''

P.J. sought, too

Riley said a combination of factors has rendered Brown as a minimal factor since the first half of the Heat's 94-79 Game 1 victory.

But Riley also said he's not about to shake up his rotation because of one loss.

``After the first game, we played eight guys, it's all great, it's all good,'' he said. ``And then you lose the next game and all of a sudden everybody [stinks) _ I've got to go to the drawing board. You've got to keep things in perspective.''

See no evil

Riley claimed ignorance to the throat-slitting gesture offered throughout Game 2 by Knicks reserve point guard Chris Childs. ``Who knows what he was doing?'' Riley said. ``Maybe he was scratching his throat.''